Learning to Live Again 4
by Scarheart of DarkClan
Summary: Clover has lived her whole life under the cruel BloodClan. Her memories haunt her, but can she put them aside when a new life begins; on without Scourge.


**Here is the result of my terrible case of writer's block for "Toms Vs She Cats." I think I know what I want to do next, so this little one-shot helped me out a whole lot. It is from Shiningstarwhiteback's contest. If your interested, you can check out hers or mine.**

**This is the most canon (is that even the right word) story I have ever written. It is about BloodClan just after "Darkest Hour." I haven't read any of the books in forever, so this might be totally inaccurate.**

* * *

><p><strong>Learning to Live Again 4<strong>

I walked along a deserted alleyway with boxes and silver containers towering into the sky. They no longer seemed to taunt me as they once had; the shadows no longer seemed to leap at me.

When shattering sound echoed down the row of Twolegplaces, I scrambled into the nearest ditch I could find. My heart beat fast in my chest like a monster on the thunderpath.

A bead of determination grew in the pit of my cowardice. Maybe it wasn't what I though it was. Maybe it wasn't Bone knocking down the silver saucers to scare us. A glimmer of hope appeared like a rainbow after a storm.

My emerald green eyes reflected the onslaught of light as I peaked my head through a crack. My smiled widened as the sound of claws on gravel never sounded. Maybe no one was coming.

When scraping paws did sound, I shot back into my hiding place. "Silly Clover," I said to myself. "You know you can't go out there. I though you learned from the first time."

I shivered as I placed my tail on my scar, a deep slice that would never heal. If I closed my eyes, I could still see the stones drenched in blood, my crimson blood.

_It was a chilly leaf-bare, and I was lucky to find a piece of meat that hadn't started to rot. Beady yellow eyes glared at me from the shadows but moved no closer. "Freeze to death, you dirty rats," I laughed at them, feeling triumph._

_My chicken bone dangled between my jaws as I ran through the narrow streets. It tantalizing smell was swirling around me, begging me to swallow it whole._

_I knew not to fall for those taunts; I needed to find a safe nook where neither rats nor cats could locate me. "There," I smiled through a mouth of white meat, "It is perfect."_

_I slowed down the last bit, feeling comfortable in my victory. This piece of prey was mine, and I was going to eat it without the constant fear that radiated through the open alleyways._

_Just as I ducked under a large, light brown box, a shadow swooped above. I would have screamed, but my mouth was stuffed with prey that began to lose flavor. _I shouldn't have picked it up,_ I though wearily._

_"You shouldn't have that," said the black tom perched above me. "You know that, Clover. What did I tell you about prey?" His voice was cocky; he was confident he could crush me into a withering mass of flesh, fur, and blood._

_"All prey goes to Scourge and his minions," I said deflated. I dropped my tender chicken bone to the ground, scattering loose pebbles and stones. "I hope this feeds you well."_

_I turned to walk away when the shadow moved again. The breath was knocked out of my chest as the huge body of my persecutor fell on me. Sharp pieces of the thunderpath buried into my fur._

_"Bone is tired of you always forgetting to pays us. We keep those nasty Clan cats away," he laughed, his chuckles shaking my weak frame. "We also protect you from those nasty rats."_

_I wanted to show him the bite mark on my tail where little fangs punctured the skin, but I was to scared. "It won't happen again," my voice quivered._

_My heart rose as weigh eased off my body and fresh air rushed into my lungs. It fell from the submit when I saw a glistening razor claw shining in the early morning light. It was a white as the snow that threatened to fall from the clouds. _

_A scream tore from my throat as it sliced my delicate fur; the claw was coated in my blood. He walked away with me withering on the ground. "That is what you deserve," he called. "No one messes with Scourge or Void."_

_My vision swarmed as agony flared my ears all the way to the base of my tail. Blood rolled onto the stones like water during a flood. It didn't stop till the snow fell..._

I shook myself out of my vision. "I'm safe in here," I whispered to myself. My voice sounded loud and uneven, even to myself.

"You are safe out here too," said a voice from just outside the alcove. It sounded to deep to be another she-cat, it was a tom. "So much has happened since yesterday."

The voice sounded cheerful, but I wasn't going to risk it. It could be a mask, a flimsy disguise to get me out under the sky. He must think little of someone how bested Pincher.

_I was walking down the alleyway, sticking to the shadows where I would be hidden. I didn't want to draw attention to myself at this hour in the day. It was too late for any sane cat to be alone, Scourge's army ruled the streets._

_I didn't even know why I was out, my fur was sticking straight into the air as I was tensed for any noise. The quiet scuttling of a rat caused my hackles to rise. _

_Just as I approached my safe haven, a huge ginger tom walked in front of me. "Hello darling," he called out to me, his voice ranging in pitch. "What are you doing all by yourself. The moon is starting to rise."_

_I mumbled quietly to myself, afraid my voice would give me away. My paws tried to skid around the bulking mass, but his tail ran down my back. It drew shivers where ever it touched._

_"I could keep you company," he grinned at me. "Maybe just walk you home on a beautiful night like this. Come on, baby,"_

_Feeling more nervous with each second that passed, I took off as a dash. My paws floundered on the crumbling thunderpath, but I flew past the intruder. _

_His claws latched onto the tip of my tail an an angered howl came from his mouth. "I'll be back, darling," he called, not bothering to give chase. "Pincher always gets what Pincher wants."_

The visitor outside didn't lose interest with me not responding. "You can come out, Clover. You know that I would never hurt you. There is already so much pain in your young eyes."

My heart beat froze to a stop; he knew my name. I made sure never to tell anyone my name. Here, in the heart of the Twolegplace, a name meant power over another. That just made my convictions solidify into a hard, claw-proof wall.

"I was sent by your sister. You remember little Lily, the sweet one." His voice tugged at my heart strings, trying to get my to walk out the narrow entrance. It almost did until I heard the sound of more cats behind him.

Another, more feminine, voice joined the mysterious tom. "I'm your niece, Rainbow. Your mother heard you had been living near the dump. Please just talk to us."

My niece and maybe my nephew were standing outside the door. When did Lily grow up? It seemed like we were kits only days ago.

_"You are going to be on your own soon," said my mother, her smile lighting the dark alley like the sun after a thunderstorm. "I won't be able to take care of you anymore."_

_"I'm ready to leave now," said Dagger, my younger brother. "I know how to fight and how to scavenge for food. Scourge's cats won't bother me when I grow stronger."_

_My mother purred at licked at the soft fur on the crown of his head. "You were always a fighter, but you will always be my little Dagger." She held him strong even as he fought her._

_Turning from my brother, she looked to my sister. "Be careful, Lily," she said, fear laced lightly in her voice. "Your beauty could get you in loads of trouble. Remember toms might just want to use you."_

_Lily laughed her stunning jingle. "You already told me as much mother. I can't believe you doubt my ability; you taught me well." She beamed at her mother, our mother._

_The two looked identical when they smiled. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. You are my little baby."_

_I lat loose a small cough at all the attention Lily was receiving. "And my Clover," said my mother. "My precious daughter. Remember don't fight when you can run and never reveal your name."_

_My emerald eyes meet her cerulean blue, and we shared something. Dagger and Lily might look like her, but our minds were alike. We weren't fighters but survivors._

_"Go my kits," she said to us, her eyes dampening. "Maybe you will meet some other day."_

I crawled a bit out of my hiding place, just enough to see a set of dainty, white paws. They did remind me of Lily's, so I took a few more steps forward.

"Mom thought you would know where to find Dagger," said the masculine voice. "She said she hadn't seen him since that day as kits, and she knew you had seen him since. Maybe you could point us in the right direction."

That is when I emerged into the bright, sun-high world. The two cats who stood before me were barely more than kits. "Dagger is no more," I told them, shattering their innocent hearts. "He left with Scourge all those sunrises ago. I haven't seen any of the fighters."

_I was chomping on a skinny piece of cow fat when Dagger sauntered into the alley like he owned it. My fat looked miserable when he dropped a recently killed raven in front of me._

_"I've been searching for you, sister," he told me, a light air to his voice. "A fellow named Pincher said you liked to hang around her. Didn't trust him, but I wasn't going to miss a chance."_

_"What are you doing here?" I asked, all niceness had been driven from my body long ago."Don't say it is just a visit. I want to know where you got that fresh-kill."_

_"You can go high with Scourge," he told me, all pleasantness gone in his tone. "I joined him and look what I got. Come back with me, and you can be safe like mother wanted."_

_I wanted to push him away, tell him he had lost his mind, but he mentioned mother. Could I really be safe if I followed Dagger. Would I not have to worry about stealing food and fighting over scraps with mangy rats. "Let me think about it, Dagger. This is a big choice."_

_"You can't think, Clover," snapped Dagger. He had shed any of the innocence I originally saw on him. "It is an easy choice; yes or no."_

_I rose rapidly to my paws and swallowed my miniscule meal. "You might have your scary friends," I told him with borrowed courage, "but you just lost you oldest sister."_

_He made no move to follow me as I raced down the empty alley. Maybe that is what stung the most, cut the deepest._

"I"m so sorry," said the tom, feeling shame at mentioning such a topic. "I'm called Moonless Night though everyone calls me Moon."

"My brother didn't mean all those things," apologized Rainbow. "He just gets ahead of himself sometimes. Will you please come with us? Lily keeps asking what is happening to us. You know how stubborn she can be."

I smiled at the twins, it was hard to deny them when they reminded me of my long lost sister. I jumped to my walkway behind the boxes and containers as they strutted into the middle of the street.

"In the shadows," I shouted to them, fearing for their life. "You must know what Scourge does to those you pretend they rule the alley. Lily must have told you that story."

_Mother was searching for food, and the three of us, Dagger and Lily and myself, were sitting in a soggy, damp box. It would occasionally drip its moldy water on their head._

_"I can't take it any longer," cried Lily as a huge drop exploded on her fluffy fur. "I have to get out of this smelly death hole." She shook out her fur, and started to walk out of the box._

_"You can't go out there," I told her, trying to keep my voice calm. "Remember what Mother said, it isn't safe. You could get killed."_

_"Well," snapped my younger sister, "If stay in here any longer, my fur is going to fall off. I'd like to take my chances out there."_

_I was stalled by her choice, I didn't speak up fast enough. Dagger made a move to grab her, but she raced to the middle of the thunderpath. "Please don't," he cried as soft white fur slipped between his claws._

_I could see the sunlight shining on her smiling face; maybe it was okay to walk out there. Dagger walked out to join her when a parade of toms came creeping down the alleyway, light gleaming on their thick, well-groomed fur._

_"Look at that beautiful little thing," said the smaller of the three. "She would be a perfect mate for your son, Hollow." His voice was confident and reeked of power._

_"I've have higher hopes for young Scrap. He is going to get one of Bone's daughters." He was at the point of the pyramid, leader of the group. "You insult me for mentioning that, Blister."_

_The third, yet unnamed cat, smiled a cunning smile at my sister. "Blight and Hollow," he said, his voice slithering to my ears like a venomous snake. "How about we take care of her? She shouldn't be in the middle."_

_"Yes," cried Blister, eager to earn his superiors liking, "I'll give you the honors." He stepped back to stand beside the third cat._

_Hollow looked at his two minions. "You are weak, but you know how to make a leader happy. That is the only reason you will remain in BloodClan."_

_Lily remained in the middle, traumatized by what was unfolding around her. Her mouth hung open, leaving a shocked expression on her adorable face. She didn't move as a huge paw swatted at her head. _

_It sent her flying to the side of the alley, a few rat-tails from out hiding place. They let a a contorted laugh as her small frame snapped against the wall. She crumbled to the ground, blood pouring from invisible wounds._

_"Come on, Clover," cried Dagger. "We have to go help her; look at all that blood." He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and attempted to pull me._

_My heart tore as I spoke, but I knew what needed to be said. "We can't help her yet. It would do her no help if we suffered the same fate."_

_It tore us both to pieces, but we waited until three tails disappeared from view, one black and one ginger and one brown. We knew not to repeat what Lily had just done._

"Of course she has," laughed Rainbow like I was a clueless kit. "We just don't have to follow any of Scourge's rules anymore." Her smile and words lite up my bleak world.

"Ya Clover," chuckled Moon. "Didn't you hear that those Clans crushed him. The same ones we were being protected from saved our miserable lives."

I looked at them with surprise written all over my face. "Are you positive about this? I can't imagine any cat beating the vicious Scourge."

"It was a magical cat," sighed my niece. "He apparently had a coat like fire and returned from death. He was killed but something gave him new life. And in that new life, Scourge was slaughtered."

"You mean I don't have to live in my pit." The words seemed unreal sliding off my tongue. "I can eat whatever prey I want to. I can walk in the sunlight."

Moon gave a full-toothed smiled. "That is exactly what our mother said. She danced in the alleyway with our father."

"I can learn to live again," I shouted, not caring who heard me. I had a new life in front of me, and no cat was going to swipe it from my grasp.

* * *

><p><strong>I would like to see some reviews for this one-shot. Maybe I'll write more like this if you like it. I can't know if you don't inform me.<strong>


End file.
